Connecting device



Oct. 16, 1962 J. s. HAWlE CONNECTING DEVICE Filed April 6, 1961 3 RE H wN mm w my M a A M w M CM J 0M0 United States Patent 3,058,183(IGNNEKZTING DEVICE Jacob S. Hawie, Easton, Conn, assignor to The HawieManufacturing Company, Bridgeport, Conn., 21 corporation of fionnecticutFiled Apr. 6, 1%1, Ser. No. 101,256 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-81) The presentinvention relates to means for connecting articles together, and moreparticularly to a means embodying a pair of clips and to a novel andsimplified means for securing them together so as to lie in a flatplane.

The device of the present invention has particular utility in securingmittens to sleeves. Heretofore, devices have been provided for thispurpose in which a pair of clips having wire attaching loops wereconnected by means of a tape passing through the loops and sewntogether, or by springs having eyes or chains having links threaded onthe wire of the loop. In each of these devices, the operation of sewingthe strip or passing the wire of each loop through the eye of the springor the link of the chain prior to the final assembly of the loop withthe clip has been a tedious operation which reduces the rate ofproduction and also adds cost to the clip.

The present invention overcomes this difficulty by providing a simpleand effective device which eliminates these cost-increasing operations.This is accomplished by an arrangement wherein the loops themselves aredirectly interconnected and are provided with an offset portion whichpermits the clips to lie in a flat plane without tendency to twist. Sucha construction eliminates the tape, spring, chain or the like connectionbetween the clips and can be readily assembled without any tedious orsewing operations heretofore used, and thus substantially reduces thecost of manufacture of the device.

A feature of the device resides in its simplicity and east of assemblywhich greatly reduces the cost of manufacture thereof.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thespecification and claims when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of the clips in position and connecting twoarticles, such as a mitten to a sleeve.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing one of the clips in open position.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wire forming the loop for the clip.

FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 3.

As shown in the drawings, the device of the present invention comprisesa pair of clips 10, which may be of the usual construction with eachhaving a fixed jaw '11 and movable jaw 12 and an actuator plate 13 foractuating the jaws into and out of gripping relation with the articlesto be connected. While the articles to be connected can be separatearticles or parts of the same article which are to be held together, as,for example, the opposed edges of a sweater to hold it around theshoulders of a wearer, in the illustrated form of the invention it isshown as connecting a mitten or glove 14 to a sleeve 15.

Each of the clips has secured thereto a loop 16 which is hereinillustrated as formed of a bent wire and which extends across one end ofthe clip. The loop is provided with a portion 17 adapted to beinterlocked with the other loop, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to directlyconnect the two clips together.

The clips, in accordance with the preferred form of 3,058,183 PatentedOct. 16, 1962 the invention, are desired to lie in the same plane and tobe free of a tendency to rotate into right angular positions as would beoccasioned if the loops were formed in a single plane. To accomplishthis, the portions 17 of the loops are so constructed and arranged thatthey will permit the clips to be interconnected and still lie in thesame plane. While one loop can be provided with an offset portiondisplaced with respect to the plane of the loop to accomplish thisresult, it is at present preferred to provide each of the loops with anoffset or twist portion which is disposed at substantially 45 to theplane of the loop. With this construction, a single loop member may beprovided for use on all of the clips, thus reducing the cost of dies andfixtures necessary to produce the clips.

In assembling the device of the present invention the jaw assemblies areprepared. The loops are placed in interlocked relation by a simpleoperation and are assembled with and secured to the clips with the endportions 18 of the loop extending under the movable jaw and forming thespring for moving the jaws to separated position, as shown in FIG. 2,which permits the clip to be easily inserted over the edge or otherportion of the article and to be moved into gripping relation therewith.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the device is the ultimate insimplicity and greatly reduces the cost of manufacture by eliminatingthe need of and the assembly operations involved in the use of any chainor other connectors between the loops while still providing a secure andaccurate alignment of the parts held in the clip.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claimsand portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A device for connecting two articles together com prising a clipadapted to be secured to one of the articles, a second clip adapted tobe secured to the other article, and a pair of interlocked loops, eachhaving a planar base portion secured to the clips to directly connectthe clips together, at least one of said loops having the portionthereof engaging the other loop displaced from the plane of the base ofthe loop whereby both the clips can be disposed in the same planewithout a tendency to twist therefrom.

2. A device for connecting mittens, gloves or the like to a sleeve orthe like comprising a pair of clips, each having jaws movable into agripping relation, one clip being adapted to grip the edge of a mittenand the other clip being adapted to grip the edge of a sleeve, and apair of interlocked loops, each having a planar base portion connectedto the clips to join the clips together, said loops having the engagingportions thereof provided with a twist therein extending substantiallyat 45 to the plane of the base of the loop whereby the clips can bedisposed in a plane without a tendency to twist therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS189,004 Wilson Mar. 27, 1877 416,509 Sherman Dec. 3, 1889 2,018,068Kestenman Oct. 22, 1935 2,837,806 Hawie June 10, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS32,170 Germany July 11, 1885 26,405 Great Britain of 1901 747,753 GreatBritain Apr. 11, 1956

